Customs Department officials deployed at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) have busted a major case of drug smuggling. Four Indian travelers returning from Bangkok have been caught on charges of smuggling huge quantities of narcotics (ganja/marijuana) and foreign cigarettes. Contraband worth crores of rupees has been recovered from these passengers, which they were hiding in their luggage bags in a very clever manner.
Seeing suspicious activities of four passengers coming from Bangkok, Customs officials stopped them at Green Channel, X-ray examination exposed smuggling
The incident occurred on January 6, 2026, when four Indian passengers from Bangkok arrived at Terminal-3 of Delhi Airport via Thai Airways flight numbers TG-315 and TG-331. Customs officials present at the airport identified these passengers on the basis of ‘spot profiling’. When these passengers were crossing the Green Channel, the officials stopped them and ordered a thorough search of their luggage and X-ray examination. During investigation, it was found that the trolley bags with them contained suspicious items, after which the bags were opened and manual checking was done.
More than 43 kg of ganja and gold flake cigarettes were brought hidden in polythene pouches inside trolley bags, items recovered from six different bags.
Upon searching the luggage, officials found a total of 36 polythene pouches in four trolley bags (two blue, one grey, and one purple). A green colored drug was hidden inside these pouches, which upon investigation was found to be marijuana. Its total weight came out to be 43,135 grams (about 43.13 kg). Further, when two other trolley bags (one yellow and one sky blue) were searched, 76 large packets (sticks) of Gold Flake cigarettes were recovered from them. The smugglers hid drugs and cigarettes among clothes and other items to hoodwink the security agencies.
The value of seized drugs and cigarettes in the international market is more than Rs 43 crore, all four smugglers arrested under NDPS Act.
When diagnostic test was done on the recovered items, they were prima facie confirmed to be ganja and cigarettes. According to the Customs Department, the total estimated value of the seized ganja and cigarettes is estimated to be around Rs 43.14 crore (₹ 43.14792 crore). Considering this act as a violation of Section 8 of the NDPS Act, 1985, it has been declared a punishable offense under Sections 20, 23 and 29. Taking legal action, the officials arrested all four passengers under Section 43(B) of the NDPS Act between 1:00 pm and 1:15 pm on January 7, 2026. Also, bags and packaging material used for smuggling have been seized under Section 43(A).
